New Jersey Devils Face Important Stretch. How Will They Fare?
After Monday night’s disappointing loss to the Florida Panthers, the New Jersey Devils have a very important stretch upcoming. The next four games in my eyes are where we will see what the Devils are really made of.
The New Jersey Devils are looking to answer after undoubtedly their worst game of the year. They played a tired game Monday in their third game in four days and fourth in six days.
When they play Friday the Devils will be fully rested. It will be interesting to see the level of energy they come out and play with. This team has not been one to lay down at all this year (this was shown in the third period against Florida), so I expect a much faster paced game like we are accustomed to seeing from them.
Another reason this is an important stretch is because of the teams they are playing. The next four games are against the Avalanche, Coyotes and a home and home with the Blue Jackets. These first two games are critical for me. They are two teams in bottom tier of the league. These are both must-win games. The Devils must go into Columbus on Tuesday with confidence as high as possible.
The home and home with the Blue Jackets will certainly be the two biggest games of the season for the Devils thus far. This is the team they have been battling for first place with for the past couple weeks now. Taking both of these games would not only be huge confidence boosters for the young guys on this team, but would also be a huge boost in the standings.
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If they beat both the Avalanche and the Coyotes, a split with the Blue Jackets would not be the worst possible outcome. However, anything worse than that would definitely be a disappointment. Especially with the streaking rival New York Rangers coming to New Jersey directly after this.
I expect the Devils to play well in these upcoming games. Look for Travis Zajac to make his presence felt on the score sheet sooner rather than later. When they need a goal, the Devils normally look in the direction of their top talent Taylor Hall. I don’t believe it will be any different. I also expect Nico Hischier to continue to put the puck in the net. After getting robbed multiple times in the early going he looks to be becoming more confident in his shot. My prediction is that they go 3 for 4 in these games, splitting with Columbus. This would prove to be a successful span in my eyes.